Toward a light-harvesting hyperbranched polyesteramine host-guest complex

A novel hyperbranched polyesteramine (PEA) architecture 1 was found to display light-harvesting properties by hosting anthracene-9-carboxylic acid guest 3. The light-harvesting ability has been studied by means of fluorescence spectroscopy. The binding behaviour has also been described by FT-TR and H-1 NMR spectroscopic methods. Hyperbranched host 1 also acts as the photonharvesting chemosensor of the anthracenyl guest over the benzoic acid guest. Furthermore, the host loaded with the anthracenyl guest also exhibited 'ON-OFF'switching on protonation of amine sub-units with HCl, thereby making it of potential use as a pH-assisted photonharvesting material.